Over the past two decades, access control technology in locking devices has rapidly shifted from traditional mechanical keying systems and mechanical articulation to digital monitoring and electronic actuation. The primary method of “electrifying” an existing mechanical lock is to mount individual sensing switches and actuators within the locking device, then route discrete wiring from the switches and actuators through the lock and out to an external harness or connector.
There are many disadvantages to this approach including: the considerable component design differences between high-volume mechanical configurations and low volume “electrified” configurations (produced at increased cost), and performance limitations imposed when packaging switches, actuators, and wire harnesses within existing mechanical locking devices.